The present invention relates to a thread supply arrangement for use in textile machinery.
As is well known, a plurality of threads, such as single filaments, multi-filament fibers, yarns or the like-filamentary materials, hereafter collectively referred to as fibers, is to be supplied to a textile machine, such as a circular knitting machine, to be manufactured by the latter into a fabric or a similar textile material. To assure uniformity of advancement of the fibers toward the textile machine, it has already been proposed to mount an accumulating drum on the machine, on which drum the respective fiber is accumulated for a brief period of time prior to its delivery into the textile machine proper. Each of such accumulating drums associated with a respective fiber is driven in rotation at a predetermined speed, and usually all of the accumulating drums associated with the fibers then consumed by the textile machine, are simultaneously driven from a single drive by at least one, but usually more than one, endless advancing element, such as a belt. Usually, the fiber-supply arrangement also includes fiber-guiding means, such as eyelets, mounted on the same support as the accumulating drums and located both upstream and downstream of the respective accumulating drum as considered in the direction of advancement of the respective fiber.
Based on the above explanation, it will be apparent that the extensive use of the fiber-supply arrangements in at least some textile machines considerably reflects itself in the cost of manufacture, assembly, and operation of the textile machine. This is particularly true when, as explained above, different ones of the accumulating drums are separately or selectively driven in rotation by different advancing belts. Under these circumstances, it has been already proposed to arrange a plurality of pulleys on the driving shaft of the respective accumulating drum, each of such pulleys having trained about it one of the above-mentioned advancing belts. Inasmuch as the different advancing means are advanced at different speeds or at different times, it has been proposed to equip the individual pulleys with couplings which render it possible to connect, for joint rotation, only one of the plurality of pulleys with the shaft on which they are mounted. As a result of the provision of the complex pulleys provided with the coupling arrangements, such fiber-supply arrangements are rather expensive both in terms of construction and manufacture.